LONDON: British Airways cabin crew begin a four-day strike on Saturday, the second walkout this month that will cost the company millions of dollars and lead to more travel chaos before the busy Easter holiday period.
BA said its contingency plans would mean that 75 per cent of its customers would be able to fly despite the action, although the Unite Union said the ongoing and increasingly bitter dispute was damaging the airline’s finances and reputation.
The action over pay and jobs is also embarrassing for Prime Minister Gordon Brown as Unite is his Labour Party’s largest financial backer. “I am delighted that we will be able to fly such a large proportion of our customers to their chosen destinations in the coming days,” said BA’s chief executive Willie Walsh.
“At the same time, I feel really sorry for those customers whose plans have been ruined by Unite’s completely unjustified action. Despite the union’s promises, this strike has affected the Easter holiday plans of thousands of hard-working people.”
The dispute began because BA wants to save an annual 62.5 million pounds ($92.76 million) to help cope with falling demand, volatile fuel prices and greater competition. Last weekend’s three-day stoppage, which the airline said cost it about 7 million pounds a day, led to claim and counter-claim from BA and Unite.
BA said it had been able to operate much of its usual schedule and that almost 60 percent of its 12,000 cabin staff had turned up to work. This time it plans to operate a normal schedule from London’s Gatwick and City airports and 70 per cent of long-haul flights from London Heathrow, overall flying more than 180,000 of the 240,000 passengers originally booked.
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